Hook unit for pickup trucks

ABSTRACT

A rope hook unit removably mounted on a pickup truck or the like; the truck having, in combination with the hook unit, a horizontal, outwardly opening, supporting channel permanently secured thereon, and the hook unit (of which there are several in practice) being wedgingly engaged in the channel for use but manually quick-detachable from said channel for storage when not in use. Additionally, the hook unit is fitted with a manually disengageable locking dog which prevents accidental detachment from the channel of said hook unit when the latter is in use.

United States Patent [191 Heckenlaible 51 Mar. 27, 1973 1 HOOK UNIT FORPICKUP TRUCKS Harry R. Heckenlaible, 2086 Webb St., Stockton, Calif.95205 [22] Filed: Apr. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 135,884

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. ..280/179 R [51] Int. Cl. ..B60p 7/00 [58] Field of Search..280/179 R, 179 A; 105/367;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,688,289 9/1954 Sterling..105/369 1,807,356 5/1931 Vance ...248/298 2,859,710 11/1958 Elsner..248/298 Primary Examiner-Benjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-Robert R.Song Att0meyPercy S. Webster and Robert B. Webster [57] ABSTRACT A ropehook unit removably mounted on a pickup truck or the like; the truckhaving, in combination with the hook unit, a horizontal, outwardlyopening, supporting channel permanently secured thereon, and the hookunit (of which there are several in practice) being wedgingly engaged inthe channel for use but manually quick-detachable from said channel forstorage when not in use. Additionally, the hook unit is fitted with amanually disengageable locking dog which prevents accidental detachmentfrom the channel of said hook unit when the latter is in use.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented March 27, 1973 3,722,910

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 x //V VE/V 7'01? HARRY/E HECKE/VLA/BLE By [um yam;

ATTORNEYS Patented March 27, 1973 3,722,910

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HARRY R HECKE/VLA/BLE BY MW @Md? AT TORNEYS HOOK UNITFOR PICKUP TRUCKS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pickup trucks, and similarvehicles, are conventionally fitted on the sides with permanentlysecured, exposed, downwardly opening, rope hooks, and whichwhen not inuse-tend to catch on a persons clothing or at times to cause injury to aperson upon contact, bodily, with such hooks. The present invention wasconceived in seeking a solution to such problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, as an importantobject, a rope hook unit removably mounted on a pickup truck or thelike; the truck having, in combination with the hook unit, a horizontal,outwardly opening, supporting channel permanently secured thereon, andthe hook unit (of which there are several in practice) being wedginglyengaged in the channel for use but manually quick-detachable from saidchannel for storage when not in use.

The present invention provides, as another important object, a removablehook unit and supporting channel combination, as in the precedingparagraph, in which the channel is shallow, relatively wide, and hasupper and lower lips defining facing longitudinal grooves; the hook unitincluding an attachment plate-having a hook fixed on and extendingoutwardly therefromdisposed in the channel, and said attachment platebeing formed and dimensioned so that-in one rotative position-the plateis wedgingly engaged in and spans between said grooves, and-in anotherrotative position-is free of the grooves and removable from the channelby passage between said lips. The hook opens downwardly for use when thehook unit is in said one position.

The present invention provides, as an additional important object, aremovable hook unit and supporting channel combination, as above, inwhich the hook unit is fitted with a manually disengageable locking dogwhich engages in the channel and prevents accidental detachmenttherefrom of the hook unit when the latter is in use.

The present invention provides, as a further object, a hook unit forpickup trucks which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

The present invention provides, as a still further object, a practical,reliable, and durable hook unit for pickup trucks, and one which isexceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1' is a diagrammatic side view ofa pickup truck fitted with a plurality of the hook units.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation, partly broken away, of one hook unit inposition for use.

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but shows the hook unit released andready for removal from the supporting channel.

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4. I

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of one hook unit, detached.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT units 3 being firmly butremovably secured in place in the channel 2 in the manner as willhereinafter appear. Thus, not only can the hook units 3 be secured-foruse-at selected points on the supporting channel 2, but such hook unitscan-when not in use-be removed from the channel and elsewhere stored inthe truck.

The form and dimensions of each hook unit 3, and the related channel 2,make it possible to accomplish ready manual attachment of the hook unit3 to, or quick-detachment of said hook unit from, the channel 2; theparticular structure of such parts, and the manner of their cooperation,being as follows:

The channel 2 includes upper and lower longitudinal lips 4 which definefacing, V-shaped grooves 5, while the hook unit comprises an attachmentplate 6 whichwhen the hook unit is in its position of use-is disposed inthe channel 2 with upper and lower edges 7 and 8, respectively,wedgingly engaged in corresponding grooves; said plate having a hook 9fixed on the outer face thereof by means of an integral, inwardly offsetneck 10 which merges with a flat pad 11 welded to such plate. The book 9opens downwardly when the hook unit is in its position of use.

While the straight edges 7 and 8, of the wedged-inplace attachment plate6, preclude rotationby manipulation of hook 9of such plate in acounterclockwise direction, said plate can be part-circle rotated in aclockwise direction; this by reason of opposed corners l2 and 13 beingrounded as shown. The purpose of such part-circle, clockwise rotationwill later appear.

The rounded corners 12 and 13 are chamfered, as at 14, with the chamferextending into and along the upper and lower edges 7 and 8; this toassure of matching engagement of said edges in the V-shaped grooves 5when the attachment plate 6 is in the position of use of the hook unit.See FIG. 2.

Further, the attachment plate 6 is of a vertical dimension such that, insaid position of use of the hook unit, the edges 7 and 8 wedge orjam-engage" in the grooves; the rounded corners l2 and 13 serving to camthe plate into such position.

In order to prevent accidental displacement of the attachment plate 6from the supporting channel 2 when the hook unit is in its position ofuse, said plate is fitted on its face with a swinging-type locking dogindicated generally at 15; such locking dog including an invertedL-shaped leg 16 pivoted at its upper end, as at 17, to the plate andthence depending to a lower end termination in a foot 18 havinga radiuschamfered, as shown, to engage in the lower groove 5. With the plate 6in said position of use of the hook unit, the locking dog 15 is manuallyswung inwardly until the foot 18 engages in wedging relation in thelower groove 5; this occurring prior to the leg 16 passing dead-centerrelative to pivot 17. The locking dog 15, while readily manuallydisengageable, thus precludes rotation of plate 6 in a clockwisedirection and so that the hook unit cannot accidentally escape from thesupporting channel 2.

The attachment plate 6 is of a dimension between its side edges 19somewhat less than the vertical distance between the lips 4 of thesupporting channel 2, and this differential in dimensions permits saidplate 6-and the hook unit 3 as a whole-to be manually quick-detachedfrom the channel in the following manner:

After manually releasing the locking dog 15 by swinging it upwardly outof the lower groove 5, the hook 9 is grasped and twisted in a directionto part-circle rotate attachment plate 6 in a clockwise direction anduntil such plate is in a position with the side edges 19 at an angle ofsubstantially 45 from vertical. in this position, the plate 6 can bewithdrawn from the channel 2, passing freely between the lips 4. Thiswholly detaches the hook unit 3 from channel 2. In this way a number ofthe hook units can be readily and easily removed from channel 2 when nolonger needed for use and then elsewhere stored in the truck.

As each hook unit 3 is again needed for use, it is returned to the.supporting channel 2 and replaced thereon in a reversal, as is apparent,of the detachment procedure hereinbefore described. Essentially, thereplacement of each hook unit is accomplished by inserting theattachment plate 6 in the channel 2 with said plate in a position topass between the lips 4, and then rotating the plate counterclockwiseuntilby the camming action of rounded corners l2-it wedgingly engages ingrooves with the hook opening downwardly for use. Lastly, the lockingdog is re-engaged.

At such times that each channel 2 is empty (i.e., has no hook unitstherein), an ornamental strip (not shown) may be inserted in the channelin order to enhance the appearance of the truck; the strip, insertedfrom the end of the channel, edge-engaging in grooves 5.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a hook unit for pickup trucks as substantiallyfulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the hook unit for pickup trucks, still in practice suchdeviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form adeparture from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appendedclaims.

lclaim:

l. A rope hook unit, for a pickup truck or the like, comprising, incombination with a horizontal, outwardly opening, supporting channelsecured on the truck and formed with vertically spaced, longitudinallips which define facing grooves, an attachment plate disposed in thechannel, a hook on the attachment plate extending outwardly therefrombetween the lips, the attachment plate having opposite edge portionsreleasably wedged in corresponding grooves and securing said plate inthe channel when the hook is in position for use, said attachment platebeing so formed and dimensioned that upon part-circle rota ion thereofin a predetermined direction only, said edge portions escape the groovesand the plate is then removable from the channel between the lips, and alocking element mounted on said plate, said locking element beingmanually releasably wedged in one of said grooves for preventing suchpart-circle rotation of the attachment plate in said predetermineddirection.

2. A rope hook unit, as in claim 1, in which the plate mounted lockingelement is a locking dog swingably pivoted at one end on the attachmentplate and thence extending to an opposite and free end wedged in saidone groove.

3. A rope hook unit, as in claim 2, in which the locking dog is ofinverted L-shape, with one leg thereof extending toward and pivoted atits outer end in connection with the attachment plate, and with theother leg projecting toward and wedged at its outer end in said onegroove.

4. A rope hook unit, as in claim 3, including a foot on the outer end ofsaid other leg of the inverted L-shaped locking dog; such foot having aradius wedged in said one groove at a point short of dead-centerrelative to the pivotal axis of the locking dog.

* i t e

1. A rope hook unit, for a pickup truck or the like, comprising, incombination with a horizontal, outwardly opening, supporting channelsecured on the truck and formed with vertically spaced, longitudinallips which define facing grooves, an attachment plate disposed in thechannel, a hook on the attachment plate extending outwardly therefrombetween the lips, the attachment plate having opposite edge portionsreleasably wedged in corresponding grooves and securing said plate inthe channel when the hook is in position for use, said attachment platebeing so formed and dimensioned that upon part-circle rotation thereofin a predetermined direction only, said edge portions escape the groovesand the plate is then removable from the channel between the lips, and alocking element mounted on said plate, said locking element beingmanually releasably wedged in one of said grooves for preventing suchpart-circle rotation of the attachment plate in said predetermineddirection.
 2. A rope hook unit, as in claim 1, in which theplate-mounted locking element is a locking dog swingably pivoted at oneend on the attachment plate and thence extending to an opposite and freeend wedged in said one groove.
 3. A rope hook unit, as in claim 2, inwhich the locking dog is of inverted L-shape, with one leg thereofextending toward and pivoted at its outer end in connection with theattachment plate, and with the other leg projecting toward and wedged atits outer end in said one groove.
 4. A rope hook unit, as in claim 3,including a foot on the outer end of said other leg of the invertedL-shaped locking dog; such foot having a radius wedged in said onegroove at a point short of dead-center relative to the pivotal axis ofthe locking dog.